Engine cooling means



D. R. BERLIN 2,336,772

ENGINE cooLING MEANS Filed Dec. 23, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Fler-.1

lNvENoR I DONOVAN rL-.BEQUN BY ATTORNEY Dec. 14, 1943. D. R. 'BERLIN 2,336,772

ENGINE COOLING MEANS Filed Dec. 23, 1940 l 2 Shee t.s-Sl'aeerI 2 lNvENToR DONOVAN QBEQLIN lATTORNEY Patented Dec. 14d, 1943 UNITED STATES'- PATENT ENGmEoooLING MEANS Donovan R. Berlin', Eggertsville, N. Y., assigner to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application vDecember 3 claims. 'I'his invention relates to cooling systems for airv*cooled engines and is particularly concerned with a cooling system for a .wholly enclosed radial cylinder air-cooled engine. l

' An object of the invention is to provide a cool'- ing air intake and manifolding arrangement particularly adapted for engines which are completely housed within a cowling or aircraft body,

the manifold being so constructed that the sev'- J eral` cylinders of the engine all are cooled to the same extent.

A further object is to provide a combined manifold and bailling system for an engine Vhaving a number of air-cooled cylinders, the system being so constructed that all cylinders receive substantiallythe same amouxitpi coolingv air and furthermore, that the cooling air conducted to each cylinder is directed over substantially the entire surface of the cylinder. Another object is to'provide means for Acooling the individual cylinders of an engine having multiple rows of cylinders radially arranged and wholly submerged within an engine body. Y Still another object is to provide a combined alcylinder engine.

. l Further objects will become apparent in c onnection with the annexed description taken -with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the forward portion of an aircraft body, showing the disposition of the engine and cooling system therein, in dottedj lines;

Fig. 2 is' a section, looking toward the front ofthe engine and showing the ooonng manifold and ducts;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section'v through a4 portion of Fig. 1, showing the duct and manifold system and its relationship to the en'' gine and body: and v r Fig. i is a developed sectional plan of a 'plurality of engine cylinders and the cooling manifold and ducts. o

. An aircraft body of streamlined form is shown at iii, this body comprising leither an aircraft fuselage or nacelle within which is mounted a multi cylinder radial air-cooled engine Il'having a rearward exhaust manifold l2 discharging through .a faired extension il `at thebody. The front end of the engine carries an elongated extension I5 through which the engine propeller shaft extends and on'the front end of which is secured a propeller I6 having a spinner II- forming a forward streamlined continuation of the body I 0. In this arrangement air duct and bailling system for a multi row radithe bottom of 23, 1940, serai No. 371.342 `(ci. 123471) the engine proper-is disposed a considerable diswhereby the cowling portion forward thereof along with the spinner Ilmay be designed with 5 a smooth tapered streamlined form by which the drag of the body under high speed flight conditions is materially improved over that prior practice wherein the Aengine was disposed substantially at the front end'of the body. v

10 Itv will be noted that,aconsiderable distance exists between the rear 'of the spinner andthe front face of the engine d within this space a coolingair manifold 20 is ocated, the manifold terminating at itsI forwardl open vend in an air scoop 2| immediately behind the propeller. The

manifold is formed as a'tapered tube, the large end of the tube lying at the air entrance opening 2i whence -the tube curves from a fore-and-aft stantially parallel to the plane or planes in which the engine cylinder axes lie. As is clear from ahead of the -several engine cylinders and lying intermediate the cylinder heads and the cylinder bases; the tube thus embracingthe extended en Fgine nose I5 and lying within the space rearward of the spinner I1- and ahead of the engine Il.

` The tube 20. along its rearward wall is provided with a plurality of openings 22 and rearwardly extending ducts 24 and 24' are secured to the manifold 20 adjacent the edges of the openings; f

these ducts being equal in number to'the number of engine cylinders and each one being directed toward one engine cylinder for directing cooling .air thereover.V As in Fig. 4, the particular showing of the invention illustrates a two-row radial cylinder engine .wherein the cylinders of the forward row designated 2B are cooled by air passing through the ducts 2l, while the cylinders of 40 the rearward row 28 are cooled by the ducts 24 which pass between the cylinders of the row 2B to embrace the cylindersof the rearward row 28.- The walls-of the ducts 24' embrace the cylinders of the row 28 as at 30 so that air passing through the ducts 24' impinges on the front sides 'forrica -tance rearwardly oi the front end of the body direction to a direction wherein its axis -is suba Fig. 2, the tube is of parti-annular form, passing 1 of flow tothe several engine cylinders.

2 or thefengine, nich chamber being indicated at 34 in Fig. This chamber is scavenged of spent cooling air through a suitable air exit'slot 3B which may be provided with adjustable-naps 38.

In the drawings, I also show an arscoop 40 which leads to the engine carbureton'indicated at 42, this airscoop lying without the surface of the body I;

It will be apparent that although I have shown the invention as adaptedto a multi row engine, the teachings of the invention may be used with ually good effect with .single row engines or `th engines of other than radial type. It is A l contemplated that the .taper of thevtube or manifold 20 be of such degree that' each of the cylinder ducts 2ll and 24 will receive an equal amount of cooling air under substantially identical velocity and pressure conditions whereby eachof the several cylinders of the engine may be cooled to the same degree; Equal cylinder cooling is an extremely important factor in suc` cessful operation of air-cooled engines for overassa'z'za aim in -the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an aircraft-power plant comprising an lenclosed radial .cylinder air-cooled engine, a'

tapered cooling air manifold having its-large end curved forwardly and open to the outside air, the manifold being curved around the engine and lying on one side of the engine cylinders, a. ,portion of the manifold lying opposite each cylinder, and a plurality of conduits open at their forward ends to the manifold and open at their other ends to the surfaces of respective cylinders, each said conduit being formed to embrace substantially the forward portion of its cylinder to confine the cooling airflow to the cylinder surface and to discharge the air reark wardly from the cylinder.

tween the cylinder fins in a manner which was capable of accurate evaluation. With a man1- fold system as herein disclosed, it is believed that thel cooling problem may be more accurately evaluated in advance so that more successfulengine cooling may be expected when the system is subjected to operation. .v

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will a' be obvious to those skilled in -the'art, after understanding my invention, that various changes t" and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I

2. In a cooling system for a radial cylinder aircooled engine enclosed within a Cowling, an air duct for each engine cylinder embracing substantially the forward portion thereof, said ducts extending forwardly from the forward face of the engine, and means for uniformly distributing cooling air to the several ducts comprising an annular tapered manifold connected thereto, said manifold terminating at its larger end ina forwardly facing air intake opening in said cowli118.

3. A coolingmanifold for a two row radiali cylinder air-cooled engine comprising a partiannular tube tapered from one end to the other, the larger end being curved from the central plane to comprise an air scoop, a plurality of conduits spaced along the manifold and communicating therewith and flaring outwardly at their free ends to embrace the front portions .of the cylinders of the nearest row, and a second plurality of conduits, alternating with the firstplurality, communicating with the manifold and Aextending between the cylinders of the nearest row, said latter conduits being 4formed to embrace a substantial portion of the cylinders of the remote row to direct cooling air to thel cylinder surfaces, and the outer walls of said lat- 4ter conduits likewise lying close to the cylinders of the near row to confine the air flowing therethereof.

over to the surfaces `DONOVAN R. BERLIN. 

